Investors become poorer by Rs 9.51 lakh cr as markets crash

New Delhi: Investors' wealth eroded by Rs 9.51 lakh crore on Monday morning, following a crash in equity markets where the benchmark Sensex tanked over 2,400 points, mirroring a sharp plunge in global peers.

The 30-share BSE benchmark tanked 2,401.49 points to 78,580.46 in early trade.

Following the sharp decline in equities, the market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms dropped by Rs 9,51,771.37 crore to Rs 4,47,65,174.76 crore (USD 5.35 trillion) during the morning trade.

"The global market is reeling as bears enter with a cocktail of bad news. The fear of a reverse Yen carry trade, following an interest rate hike in Japan, was the initial catalyst. This was compounded by fears of a recession in the USA after extremely poor jobs data, which spooked market sentiment," said Santosh Meena, Head of Research, Swastika Investmart Ltd.

Indian equity markets are witnessing signs of the first meaningful correction in global markets after an extended bull run, he added.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong were trading sharply lower.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index plunged as much as 8.1 per cent early Monday, extending sell-offs that shook world markets last week as worries flared over the state of the US economy.

The US markets ended significantly lower on Friday.

"The rally in the global stock markets has been driven mainly by consensus expectations of a soft landing for the US economy. This expectation is now under threat with the fall in US job creation in July and the sharp rise in the US unemployment rate to 4.3 per cent.

"Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East also are a contributing factor," said V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Financial Services.

From the Sensex pack, Tata Motors, Maruti, Tata Steel, Infosys, Tech Mahindra and JSW Steel were the biggest laggards.

On the contrary, Hindustan Unilever, Sun Pharma, Nestle and Asian Paints were trading in the positive territory.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 3,310 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.